Ilangumaran S, Ramanathan S, Shankernarayan N, Ramu G, Muthukkarauppan V
Department of Immunology, School of Biological Sciences, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai, India.
Int J Lepr Other Mycobact Dis. 1996 Mar;64(1):6-14.
In this study, we measured simultaneously the in vitro and in vivo T lymphocyte reactivities and the antibody responses of leprosy patients and healthy family contacts (HFC) toward Mycobacterium leprae antigens. The in vitro lymphoproliferative response of the HFC to leprosin A was comparable to that of tuberculoid leprosy patients. However, their skin-test reactivity to Dharmendra lepromin was considerably higher compared to the in vitro response to leprosin A. A significant number of HFC failed to respond to M. leprae antigens, both in vitro and in vivo, and the unresponsiveness to either test was not related to the type of leprosy patients in the household. A marginal correlation was observed between the skin-test reactivity of HFC and the age of the individuals. Even though a significant proportion of HFC showed positive anti-PGL-I IgM levels, none showed a positive titer in the serum antibody competition test toward the M. leprae-specific epitope My2. A positive anti-PGL-I IgM response together with a negative lepromin skin-test reactivity showed a clear downward trend from the lepromatous pole toward the tuberculoid pole. A small number of HFC, all contacts of lepromatous patients, were lepromin skin-test negative with positive anti-PGL-I IgM levels, but the majority among them showed T-cell reactivity to mycobacterial antigens in vitro. These results are discussed in relation to immunological correlates of the susceptibility to M. leprae infection.
在本研究中，我们同时测量了麻风病人和健康家庭接触者（HFC）对麻风杆菌抗原的体外和体内T淋巴细胞反应性以及抗体反应。HFC对麻风菌素A的体外淋巴细胞增殖反应与结核样型麻风病人的反应相当。然而，与对麻风菌素A的体外反应相比，他们对达曼德拉麻风菌素的皮肤试验反应性要高得多。相当数量的HFC在体外和体内对麻风杆菌抗原均无反应，且对任何一种试验无反应均与家庭中麻风病人的类型无关。观察到HFC的皮肤试验反应性与个体年龄之间存在微弱相关性。尽管相当比例的HFC显示抗PGL-I IgM水平呈阳性，但在针对麻风杆菌特异性表位My2的血清抗体竞争试验中，无人显示阳性滴度。抗PGL-I IgM反应阳性且麻风菌素皮肤试验反应性阴性呈现出从瘤型端向结核样型端明显下降的趋势。少数HFC，均为瘤型麻风病人的接触者，麻风菌素皮肤试验阴性但抗PGL-I IgM水平阳性，但其中大多数在体外对分枝杆菌抗原有T细胞反应性。结合对麻风杆菌感染易感性的免疫学相关因素对这些结果进行了讨论。
